The fluid exchanger of the present invention would have applications in many different contexts. An example is the ventilation, cooling and heating of industrial buildings which house heat-producing processes, such as laundry and dry cleaning plants. Often the standards of purity and temperature in chemical processing and food processing plants can be met or, at least abetted, with devices which apply the principles of the proportional fluid exchanger and recirculator of the present invention.
The problem which the embodiment of the present invention described herein was designed to solve was that of providing ventilation and acceptable temperature levels throughout all seasons in animal confinement buildings. The prior art includes devices which accomplish these goals in a generally satisfactory fashion. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,748 in which the damper consists of two blades which open and close in jaw-like fashion and are linked together by meshing gears. Some of the advantages of the present invention over the prior art include a single damper blade which may be counter-balanced about its pivot axis and a damper-mounted actuator which permits quicker, easier and less expensive installation.